We all feel inklings of possibility that stimulate and entice. They come in many forms. They may be experienced as joyful inspiration in seeing someone else do something or live in a way that touches upon a latent desire or dream. Sometimes, they come cloaked in envy or a sense of discontent when we see someone engaged in life or pursuing something that beacons, but that we are denying or repressing. Other times, urges are sparked by fear or anger about the way we see things going in the world and carry a sense that we have a contribution to make that remains unrealized.

For many years I felt urges in each of these forms that I failed to heed. It took a crisis (as it does for many) for me to realize that this was truly my soul speaking and that these urges came from a place that was ignored at my (and by extension our) peril. Many of us need a strong wake up call to the fact that the ONLY way to really live the life we sense is possible is to listen and learn to decode our emotions and perceptions; to engage with ourselves fully and do the work to clear the way for our authentic gifts to express.

The process is one of excavation. Clearing layer by layer of beliefs and patterns of thought that over years of acculturation and experience accumulate, obscuring our vision and ability to listen deeply. When we harbor limiting beliefs about ourselves and internalize external voices we undermine our own sovereignty. In the process, we often deny our desires as well as the attributes within us and resources accessible to us that will enable us to manifest them. We mask our deeper desires with more superficial ones that when realized leave us unfulfilled.

Conversely, when we identify with our aspirations, we are motivated beyond the tendency toward inertia that we settle into in our routines and the busyness of meeting our obligations and fulfilling our basic needs. Embracing them entices us into something new; causes us to change old habits; inspires us to learn and grow. New Year is the perennial time when we collectively engage in the exercise of staking claim to what we intend to do differently in the year ahead.

As with so many others, I have experienced the annual failure of “the New Year’s resolution" approach. Through my failures I finally learned to practice and advocate for a a way of living throughout the year that allows us to engage ourselves more fully; to identify with our dreams in a way that ushers in the changes we know we need. Clearing the way is a rich ongoing process that combines the unearthing of memory, releasing pent up emotion and rewriting our stories in a way that empowers and enriches our relationship with ourselves and our life experience.

From a place of devotion to our own lives that is sincere and sustained, discipline springs. This is a discipline that is not forced, but focused upon realizing a relationship with ourselves that allows for seasonal growth as we live holistically engaged with our aspirations, gifts, purpose, resources (internal and external), past, present and future.

This year I will be focusing upon a series of offerings that will support the process of clearing, listening, aligning with and devoting ourselves to our soul’s unheeded urgings. To get you started I offer a free guided meditation to begin the process of clearing the way.